400,000 postponed holidays 'in doubt' due to continued pandemic restrictions

The ITAA has called for a change in legislation to ensure airlines cannot fly empty planes – known as 'ghost flights' – to avoid issuing refunds. Under EU law, airlines must refund customers if a flight is cancelled. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

Some 400,000 customers had their holidays postponed until this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they are now “in doubt” as Covid-19 continues to cause uncertainty, the chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents’ Association (ITAA) has said.

On Thursday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the possibility of overseas travel this year will depend on the data, but warned that “long before” non-essential travel resumes, mandatory quarantine will be “up and running”. Mr Varadkar believes the summer will be another domestic tourist season.